Red Bulls Try to Build an MLS Team—Not a European One

Tim Cahill, one of the top Red Bulls players, during a game in October.
Zuma Press

By

Jonathan Clegg

Updated March 1, 2013 9:25 p.m. ET

The New York Red Bulls have spent the better part of two decades scouring the globe for the best way to build a winning team in Major League Soccer.

They have splashed out on overseas superstars like
Thierry Henry
and Tim Cahill, hired high-priced European coaches with glittering résumés, and attempted to play the attacking, possession-oriented style practiced by the Spanish national team.

The results haven't exactly been worth celebrating. Despite spending more heavily than any other team in the league, New York has reached the MLS Cup final just once and is the league's only original franchise not to win a major trophy.

Now, after years of underachievement—and with a new season set to begin Sunday—the Red Bulls may have stumbled upon their most effective teambuilding idea to date. This winter, the franchise overhauled its front office and resolved to look for answers in the one corner of the world it had previously ignored: America.

"We're trying to focus more on the MLS, on bringing in people who are used to the system here," said Andy Roxburgh, the team's new technical director. "You've got to remember, this isn't like being in England, Spain, Italy or whatever."

In recent years, a rotating cast of mediocre European veterans has arrived at the club, while local talent was traded away or released. But after a third successive defeat in the Eastern Conference semifinals extended the championship drought to 17 seasons, the Red Bulls have committed to a drastic overhaul of the franchise, rebuilding around a nucleus of proven MLS performers.

ENLARGE

Former Real Salt Lake player Fabian Espindola is one of the Red Bulls' additions this season.
Getty Images

Gone are the likes of Estonian midfielder Joel Lindpere, Teemu Tainio, of Finland, Norway's Jan Gunnar Solli, and even Rafa Marquez, the former Barcelona defender, who endured a turbulent two-and-a-half-year spell here.

In their place came a collection of familiar names from less far-flung locales. Forward Fabian Espindola and defender Jamison Olave arrived from Real Salt Lake. Midfielder Eric Alexander and defender Kosuke Kimura were picked up from Portland. In all, more than 30 players have been signed, traded or released by the team. Of the incoming players, all but four have previous MLS experience.

The team has even appointed a homegrown head coach. Mike Petke, the 37-year-old former Red Bulls defender and all-time leader in appearances, was tabbed to replace Hans Backe, who was ousted after failing to deliver a playoff series win.

Taken together, fans, players and team executives say the changes amount to a subtle but significant shift in the club's approach to team-building.

"For the first time, I think the club is moving in the right direction," said defender Heath Pearce. "What they're trying to implement in terms of structure, staff and the style of play, it definitely has the makings of something special."

"I think this is probably what our team has needed for a while," said Cahill. "For the supporters, it's what they've been crying out for, for a long time."

The Red Bulls are hardly the first MLS franchise to realize that developing inexpensive, local talent rather than plugging holes with European veterans is the blueprint for success. It's a strategy former Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena has embraced at Los Angeles Galaxy, where a homegrown core of players, including Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza, has supplemented superstars like David Beckham and Robbie Keane, helping the Galaxy lift their second straight MLS Cup last season.

When it comes to the Red Bulls, there is also a sense that the franchise's philosophical shift may not have been entirely intentional. Petke was named head coach only after a protracted two-month search for a successor to Backe failed to produce an appointment.

Likewise, the team's commitment to signing domestic talent may be less about a new approach to recruitment and more about the urgent need to rein in spending. Thanks to its history of largesse, the club was forced to cut roughly $1 million from its payroll to get under the $3 million salary cap, something that was only accomplished after Kenny Cooper, last season's top scorer, was traded to Dallas.

"That was very unfortunate," said Petke. "There were certain players we just couldn't retain because of their [salary] number. But with that money, we were able to go and get some depth where we needed it."

The Red Bulls hope that the appointment of Roxburgh as technical director will help them avoid such desperate measures in the future. Formerly the head of technical development at European soccer's governing body UEFA, the one-time Scotland national team coach has been hired in part to develop the team's youth academy.

"The aim is to nurture enough of our own players, to bring them through the academy and feed the club with young American talent," said Roxburgh. "But that takes time."

For now, the Red Bulls' championship hopes will still rest on their contingent of overseas stars, led by Henry, Cahill and newly acquired Juninho Pernambucano, the 38-year-old Brazilian midfielder who formerly starred for Lyon in France. Henry scored 15 goals last season and will again be the team's top scoring threat, though Cahill and Juninho should help shoulder the burden. Cahill scored just once in 12 appearances last season, but was a regular scorer for Everton in England, while Juninho is regarded as one of the world's finest free-kick takers.

"What we've got is the firepower," said Roxburgh. "If we've got a squad that is well-organized, works hard and jells together, then you hope that will make the difference."

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